Small things that you can do to protect the environment

Climate change is real. Pollution rates are staggering all over the world. Extinction is more real than what the film Inferno has managed to drive home to its viewers, and it should not only be the World Health Organization that should take concrete action. If you are a citizen of this planet and you plan to live long on it, you had better go about doing small things that help in protecting the environment.

No matter how hard scientists study the effects of climate change or how hoarse media people become in reporting about extinction, pollution and the various ways we are all slowly killing the earth, everything is useless if we don’t take heed of the warning signs. We need to accept our responsibilities as inhabitants of this one single planet.

If we refuse to be the custodians of the Earth, there may not even be a planet to sustain life for us. Unless the Moon or some other planet becomes habitable real soon, we may find ourselves without a living planet to speak of. However, we can do small things such as doing our daily routine differently or being more conscientious of how we do things, in general, to help our planet breathe and live longer for the future generations after us.

The most substantial of these things include reducing our water consumption and conserving energy. To a less significant but still essential degree, we can decide to use our cars less and use the power of our legs through walking, cycling and taking public transport more often. This is not only a great way to get fit or save money, but also reduces the amount of emitted greenhouse gasses into the environment.

Trade in that gas guzzling vehicle with a more eco-friendly model. We can give up the comfort of the car seat to make an enormous contribution to the health of Mother Earth, can’t we? Carpooling is also fun and makes car rides more enjoyable compared to sitting in the car alone. Avoid making separate car trips for every errand; combine errands when using the car so you can cut down on gas emissions.

Online shopping uses no gas on your part, as against visiting a brick-and-mortar store. Telecommuting and co-working space can also be better alternatives to driving to work every day. Making a record of your trips also enables you to consolidate your car trips into more eco-friendly journeys to save on gasoline and reduce gas emissions.

Plan meals a week in advance, so you buy only the things you will eat and thus reduce food waste. You can tweak your shopping habits by keeping track of the items that only end up in the trash. Recycle leftovers by making new dishes out of them. A compost pile allows you to recycle compostable items back to the ecosystem. Take home what you can’t eat at restaurants to save on at least one meal at home. At buffets, use smaller plates to avoid loading up on items that are likely to end up uneaten anyway.

Buy in bulk to reduce trash. Reduce, reuse and recycle as often as possible. Eat local to support local farmers and food producers. Get into gardening or eat only foods in season.